What you need to know about Northern Ireland's current political crisis

LONDON — Northern Ireland's Stormont Executive, which shares power among political parties, has been deadlocked for about a month over issues surrounding its financial future and the recent murder of a former IRA man.

The crisis escalated Thursday, when First Minister Peter Robinson stepped aside and others in his party resigned, leaving a caretaker minister in place. This move came after police arrested and released three republicans as part of the murder investigation.

Earlier, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers warned the House of Commons in London that the Stormont Executive's political institutions were in jeopardy unless the disagreements could be resolved soon. Here's what you need to know about the current crisis:

What are the main issues?

Family handout of Kevin McGuigan Snr.

Image: Press Association /Associated Press

Former IRA gunman Kevin McGuigan Snr was shot dead in east Belfast on Aug. 12, and police believe he was killed by members of the Provisional IRA. The high-profile act shocked many.

Police arrested then unconditionally released three republicans as part of the murder investigation. One of the men, Bobby Storey, is the northern chairman of Sinn Féin — the Irish republican political party led by Gerry Adams, which is part of the power-sharing Executive. Sinn Féin has insisted that the IRA has "gone away."

The Democratic Unionist Party has refused to work with Sinn Féin until the murder case is resolved and believes Sinn Féin still has ties to the IRA.

The other main sticking point is welfare reform. The parties agreed on a deal with the UK in December, but Sinn Féin took back its support in March. Villiers said Westminster may legislate directly if the parties can't agree on a package, which would be a huge set back.

Who are the major players and places?

Theresa Villiers: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. She is Northern Ireland's representative in the cabinet, and advances the British government's interests in Northern Ireland.

Peter Robinson: DUP leader and former Northern Ireland First Minister.

Arlene Foster: DUP's acting First Minister.

Martin McGuinness: Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister.

Gerry Adams: President of Sinn Féin since 1983.

Stormont: This is the name the Northern Ireland government usually goes by, as its Parliament buildings are in the Stormont area of Belfast.

What is the Stormont House Agreement?

Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny and British Prime Minister David Cameron at cross-party talks in 2014.

Image: Peter Morrison/Associated Press

It was agreed between Northern Ireland, Britain and the Republic of Ireland in December 2014 for the economic reform of Northern Ireland. It also gave powers for things like flags and parades to Northern Ireland, and agreed to set up a commission to look into outstanding issues related to the Troubles, the 30-year conflict in the late 20th century over the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.

Hasn't this happened before?

The BBC's Northern Ireland political editor, Mark Devenport, said that the parties' disagreement over welfare seemed to show that progress had been made, but the fact that IRA, guns and masked vigilantes were at the forefront of the debate has made the current crisis seem like something from the '90s.

So what happens next?

Villiers hopes to continue talks that are designed to keep the power-sharing Executive in place. The talks are co-chaired with Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan. Villiers signalled the government would be open to creating a commission to investigate alleged breaches of paramilitary cease-fires and said the issue of paramilitaries would be high on the agenda of reconvened talks. However, the DUP's Robinson has effectively put the executive on hold until the talks are over.

Northern Ireland's past continues to stay in the news. Just Tuesday, DNA tests confirmed the identities of two bodies of men whom the IRA killed and then "disappeared" during the Troubles.

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